RPC Technologies has recently shipped the first new DA Acoustic Window Set as part of the Collins Class Submarine upgrade LOTE program. The GRP windows were originally manufactured by RPC when the six submarines were commissioned in 2003 and have not been replaced since. Some of the existing windows are 20-years-old.

The new DA windows were re-engineered by RPC from the ground up. The contract involved 18 months of new materials design validation as all the original materials had become obsolete. Featuring highly advanced R&D, complex construction with advanced materials and manufacturing, with rigorous testing at every step, the project is being managed completely in-house from RPC’s Broadmeadow facility. RPC will be supplying a total of 18 DA Acoustic windows over the next 12 months.